Mini Mods - Email reminder for inactive users

Inactive reminder emails. This mod was designed to send out a reminder to inactive members to try and win them back.

***1.2.7 Update***
This update includes built in support for bouncing emails. The script will automatically detect the bounced mail, mark it as bounced so the user is not to be contacted again so as to avoid spam, and then move that user into a seperate usergroup. This plugin is still in it's testing stages, but I have addressed the bugs mentioned previously regarding the emailing side of things.

This is important so keep reading
To install this plugin and take advantage of the bounced email features you are going to need to follow these instructions very carefully. I can not gaurentee that they will work to the letter as this will be based on each persons individual hosting settings.

Step 1: Pre Install
Before you touch this product you need to do the following

• Create an "inactive" usergroup
• Set up a "bounce to" email address
  Pick an email address that you want to use as your bounced email address. Im using "bounce@icora.co.uk". feel free to use whatever you wish.
• Add a email message filter
  This is the hard part. You need to set up a filter that will 'pipe' an email sent to the above email address.
  I am using Cpanel 11 and this is how i have mine set up:
  Rules: 'To' 'Equals' 'bounce@icora.co.uk'
  Actions: 'Pipe to program' with the setting: |/usr/local/bin/php /home/icora/public_html/forum/bounce.php
  This will depend entirely on your settings and structure so you may have to do a little research. It would be very helfull if people who have to use diferent configurations would post them on here.
• Go into vBulletin options, and find the options for 'Emails'. there is a setting asking you if you want to use '-f'. set this to yes.
• While still inn the email options set the 'Bounce Email Address' to your above address.

Step 2: Install
Remove all previous trace of this modification, and upload all the files in the "upload" folder to your base directory of the server.
Go into your product management section and add a new product. upload the XML file with overwrite selected.
Refresh your admin CP to load the new menu items. Just under the "users" group you will find an "Inactive Reminders" group. open that up and click on settings.
Play with these settings and options to suit for the most part. when you come down to the bounce settings you MUST use the same email address as the one you created above.
Set to active and save.

I must re-iterate that this version has not been widely tested, but the simulations i have ran have worked. I look forward to your feedback!

Features:

• Select the period of time before a user is considered inactive.
• Select how many emails to send to each inactive user per inactivity period
• Choose weather inactivity is based on members "Last Post" or their "Last Visit"
• Specify how often followup emails are sent
• Specify alternative emails to send to reduce repetition
• Keep a log of all inactive users contacted

Planned Updates:

• More detail in reports
• ...such as
• Which useres returned
• Effectivness stats
• Email validity

**1.2.1 Update***
Added more detail to the reports section. You can now see the email address, and quickly indicate which emails were invalid. You can link directly to that user to edit as you wish.
I have fixed some errors which have been crashing people's database. Please post any problems if you can.

**1.2.3 Update***
Fixed several problems with escaping strings
Stopped database errors locking up site
***

**1.2.4 Update***
Added a "From Email" so you can specify your own email address to send the reminders from.
Fixed potential bug for people who do not use the mail queue.

Anyone having problems with sending emails out too fast, and multiple emails being sent need to consider changing their email settings in vbulletin options.
People with emails going out too fast - edit Number of Emails to Send Per Batch to a lower amount
People with multiple emails sending - edit Use Mailqueue System to "Yes, with locking"
***

**1.2.5 Update***
Added more stats in the reports page, also added a "Send test email" option so users can test the functionality of the mod
***

[simalert]

Just re-read instructions and realised that file shouldn't be in the root directory of my forum!

Sorry, carry on.............

[projectego]

Thanks for the new update. It works like a charm. Thanks!

[djbaxter]

The latest version of this add-on (just installed this morning after receiving an update notice) is sending out emails to members with "receive admin emails" already set to off.

[deegan]

Haven't installed yet, but plan to...

Question : There are a couple of people that, although they are still members and can come back if they wish, I'd rather NOT have an email sent to them as if I'm inviting them back.

Although creating a new usergoup and placing them in there, then having the email stopped for that usergroup would probably work, is there a way (or could an option be created) that would allow me to imput members' names that I do NOT wish to have the email sent?

[cashpath]

Does this show up in the CRON logs when it is run? I have run it manually from the scheduled task manager and it seems to work fine, but I've had it installed now for over 24 hours and it is not showing anywhere in the CRON logs.

[GCC LLC]

works great now, thanks!

[djbaxter]

Originally Posted by cashpath

Does this show up in the CRON logs when it is run? I have run it manually from the scheduled task manager and it seems to work fine, but I've had it installed now for over 24 hours and it is not showing anywhere in the CRON logs.

I don't see any logs either.

The sending to members who have specifically unchecked "Receive Admin Emails" (see above) is potentially a significant issue. I don't want to run afoul of some spam blacklist.

[C Braithwaite]

I will fix the sending to opted out thingy in the morning

re: cron logs - it runs but doesn't log don't know why sorry.

re: excluding users - like you said about setting up another usergroup is prob the best way for now. I will look into setting up some sort of individual user setting.

ill put this all down to inexperience with vbulletin =P

[djbaxter]

Thanks, Chris.

[Gazer]

Just installed thanks chris

Regards Gazer